“I know both of them. I was surprised when I heard because it doesn’t strike me as something Chris would do,” Legend told PEOPLE in Las Vegas on Thursday, where he performed at the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue release party.

“You never know what’s inside people or what can trigger that,” the Grammy winner added.

“It’s an awful story,” he said. “I feel terrible for both of them but if Chris did what they said he did, that’s unacceptable. He has to accept the consequences of it.”

John Legend will embark on the European leg of his tour later this month.